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Red Deer AdvocateTHURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014

Your trusted local news authority www.reddeeradvocate.com

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Assad regime accused of gas attack

Syrian government forces have attacked rebel-held areas with poisonous chlorine gas, say activists and medics.

Story on PAGE A7FORECAST ON A2

WEATHER Mainly sunny. High 9. Low 1.

C3Summer blockbuster previewHollywood bets big

Dialysis patients threatento stop

treatmentBY RENÉE FRANCOEUR

ADVOCATE STAFF

Two Central Alberta dialysis patients say their stress levels have escalated so dramatically since being told they could no longer seek the essential treatment in Red Deer, they are considering a dire alternative: completely stopping dialysis.

That would leave them with two weeks to live.Dialysis is a crucial, artificial means to remove

waste from the blood of patients who have lost kid-ney function. The unit handling this treatment at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre has been over its capacity to dialyze 120 patients for a number of months. It’s not an isolated situation.

There is a “significant infrastructural deficit in renal care” across the province, said Red Deer’s head of internal medicine, Dr. Kym Jim, also one of two kidney specialists in Central Alberta.

An expansion of the dialysis unit is needed in Red Deer to accommodate present and future growth but without a plan to do this, patients will have to travel to outlying units, Jim said. There just simply isn’t enough room.

To date, three patients who were receiving di-alysis treatment in Red Deer have been asked to receive treatment at alternate sites, stated Alberta Health Services on Wednesday.

First witness called in

Arens trialBY BRENDA KOSSOWAN

ADVOCATE STAFF

Witnessing a fatal collision during a family outing was traumatic and life-changing, a Red Deer father testified at the start of a trial into a deadly city crash on Canada Day 2010.

Thomas Smith, 29, was the first witness to be called in the trial of Rodney Ross Arens. Arens, 36, is a building contractor who has lived in Rimbey, Red Deer and Sylvan Lake. The trial opened on Wednesday.

Arens is charged with eight offences in connec-tion with the collision at the intersection of Kerry Wood and Taylor Drives, near Bower Ponds on the evening of July 1, 2010.

Charges include impaired driving causing death, impaired driving causing injury, dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing injury.

Please see DIALYSIS on Page A2

Please see TRIAL on Page A2

Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff

Sylvan Lake animal control officer Rebekah Bouer sits with Bear, a dog that was found abandoned in a Sylvan Lake condo this week. The five-month-old German shepherd had been left alone with no food and only a toilet bowl for water in an apartment vacated by evicted tenants. See related story on page A2.

Cycling race to stop in Central AlbertaBY CRYSTAL RHYNO

ADVOCATE STAFF

A true Central Alberta stage of the province’s only elite cycling competition could see the world’s best in Innisfail, Sylvan Lake and Red Deer.

The Tour of Alberta announced the seven hosting communities — Calgary, Edmonton, Innisfail, Red Deer, Lethbridge and Wetaskiwin — for the six-day staged race on Wednesday.

The race will start in Calgary with a prologue and time trial on Sept. 2 and wrap up Edmonton in Sept. 7. That route is the reverse of the 2013 inaugural race.

On Sept. 4, Innisfail will be starting host to Stage 2 of the race. The riders will finish that day in Red Deer.

“It’s going to start in Central Alberta and it’s going to end in Central Alberta,” said George Berry, local organizing committee chairman, who is thrilled that Red Deer is in the mix again.

Berry said they have been working with Innis-fail and other communities that riders could travel

through, including Sylvan Lake.“We hope to head west of Innisfail to Sylvan

Lake,” said Berry. “We’re hoping to do two laps in Sylvan Lake and make it a real festival. Sylvan Lake is good at putting on festivals with their triathlon, swimming and running events.”

The specific route from Innisfail to Red Deer is still being worked out but the route in Red Deer will be the same as in 2013. Riders enter Red Deer on Hwy 11 to 30th Avenue, then turn south on 30th Avenue to Ross Street. Heading west on Ross Street, they enter the downtown loop at the corner of Ross Street and 40th Avenue.

The finish line and the festival took over two blocks of Ross Street from 47th to 49th Avenues last year.

Innisfail town council will consider the proposal to host the stage on Monday.

Red Deer city council is expected to hear a re-quest on May 12.

Berry said he does not expect any problems gain-ing approval.

Please see TOUR on Page A3

Puppy found in unbearable conditions

COLUMBUS COMES FROM

BEHIND TO SINK

PENGUINS

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